Printing apparatus and method of charging battery therein

A printing apparatus driven by a supply of power from a battery, comprising:

• detecting means for detecting a charged quantity of the battery;
• charging means for electrically charging the battery;
• designating means for designating a quantity of printing mediums to be printed on;
• and
• charging control means for controlling said charging means so as to electrically charge the battery until the charged quantity of the battery becomes a quantity necessary to print the quantity of the printing mediums designated by said designating means.

A printing apparatus driven by a supply of electric power from a battery, said apparatus comprising:

• detecting means for detecting a charged quantity of the battery;
• a drive motor for driving a mechanism of said printing apparatus by the electric power supply from the battery;
• determining means for determining whether or not the charged quantity of the battery is less than a predetermined quantity at which an output voltage of the battery becomes less than a final discharge voltage, based on a detection by said detecting means;
• and
• discharging means for driving said drive motor by the electric power supply from the battery, to electrically discharge the battery so that the output voltage of the battery becomes less than the final discharge voltage before electrically charging the battery, in a case where said detecting means detects that the charged quantity is not less than the predetermined quantity.

A method of electrically charging a battery in a printing apparatus driven by a supply of power from the battery, said method comprising the steps of:

• designating a quantity of printing mediums to be printed on;
• obtaining an electrically charging quantity of the battery in accordance with the quantity of printing mediums designated in said designating step;
• and
• electrically charging the battery up to the charging quantity obtained in said obtaining step.

A method of electrically charging a battery in a printing apparatus driven by a supply of electric power from the battery, said method comprising the steps of:

• detecting a charged quantity of the battery;
• determining whether or not the charged quantity detected in said detecting step is less than a predetermined quantity in which an output voltage of the battery becomes less than a final discharge voltage;
• driving at least one drive motor that drives a mechanism of the printing apparatus by the electric power supply from the battery, to electrically discharge the battery so that the output voltage of the battery becomes less than the final discharge voltage, before electrically charging the battery, in a case where it is determined that the charged quantity of the battery is not less than the predetermined quantity determined in said determining step;
• and
• starting charging of the battery after discharging of the battery has been substantially completed.

A printing apparatus driven by a supply of electric power from a battery, said printing apparatus comprising:

• detecting means for detecting a remaining capacity of the battery;
• a carriage motor for moving a printing head, which prints an image on a printing medium, relative to the printing medium;
• a conveyance motor for conveying the printing medium relative to the printing head;
• and
• drive control means for controlling a drive timing of said conveyance motor based on the remaining capacity of the battery detected by said detecting means;
• wherein said drive control means commences driving of said conveyance motor at a first timing in which rotation of said carriage motor does not stop after a deceleration of rotation speed of said carriage motor was started when the remaining capacity of the battery detected by said detecting means is more than a predetermined value, and said drive control means commences driving of said conveyance motor at a second timing after the first timing when the remaining capacity of the battery detected by said detecting means is less than the predetermined value.

A printing apparatus driven by a supply of electric power from a battery, said printing apparatus comprising:

• detecting means for detecting a remaining capacity of the battery;
• a carriage motor for moving a printing head, which prints an image on a printing medium, relative to the printing medium;
• a conveyance motor for conveying the printing medium relative to the printing head;
• and
• drive control means for controlling a drive timing of said carriage motor based on the remaining capacity of the battery detected by said detecting means;
• wherein said drive control means commences driving of said carriage motor at a first timing in which rotation of said conveyance motor does not stop after a deceleration of rotation speed of said conveyance motor was started when the remaining capacity of the battery detected by said detecting means is more than a predetermined value, and said drive control means commences driving of said carriage motor at a second timing after the first timing when the remaining capacity of the battery detected by said detecting means is less than the predetermined value.

A printing apparatus driven by a supply of electric power from a battery, said printing apparatus comprising:

• detecting means for detecting a remaining capacity of the battery;
• a carriage motor for moving a printing head, which prints an image on a printing medium, relative to the printing medium;
• a conveyance motor for conveying the printing medium relative to the printing head;
• and
• drive control means for controlling a drive timing of one of said conveyance motor and said carriage motor based on the remaining capacity of the battery detected by said detecting means;
• wherein said drive control means commences driving of one of said conveyance motor and said carriage motor at a first timing in which a time period of accelerative driving of one of said conveyance motor and said carriage motor, and a time period of decelerative driving of the other of said conveyance motor and said carriage motor are overlapped, when the remaining capacity of the battery by said detecting means is more than a predetermined value, and a driving of one of said conveyance motor and said carriage motor, is commenced at a second timing, after the first timing, when the remaining capacity of the battery detected by said detecting means is less than the predetermined value.

A method of controlling a drive timing of motors in a printing apparatus driven by a supply of electric power from a battery, said printing apparatus including a carriage motor for moving a printing head, which prints an image on a printing medium, relative to the printing medium, and a conveyance motor for conveying the printing medium relative to the printing head,

• said method comprising the steps of:
• detecting a remaining capacity of the battery;
• and
• controlling a driving timing of one of said conveyance motor and said carriage motor based on the remaining capacity of the battery detected in said detecting step;
• wherein in said controlling step, driving of one of said conveyance motor and said carriage motor is commenced at a first timing in which a time period of accelerative driving of one of said conveyance motor and said carriage motor, and a time period of decelerative driving of the other of said conveyance motor and said carriage motor are overlapped, when the remaining capacity of the battery in said detecting step is more than a predetermined value, and driving of one of said conveyance motor and said carriage motor is commenced at a second timing, after the first timing, when the remaining capacity of the battery detected in said detecting step is less than the predetermined value.